Hiding her secret identity as the author of a glamour advice column, Nola enters a pact with her two closest friends that they will support one another through a shared makeover endeavor that leads to unexpected consequences. With her double chin and double-XL wardrobe, it's doubly appropriate that Nola Devlin leads a double life. In reality, she's the overworked, underappreciated editor of Sass! a sleazy celebrity tabloid whose most popular columnist is sexy, slender, saucy Belinda Apple, Nola's alter ego. Nola, however, soon finds she's too clever for her own good when one of Belinda's columns on weight loss inspires her two equally overweight best friends to coerce her into following this diet-to-end-all-diets, a "Cinderella Pact" they hope will transform their lives into a Belinda-like orgy of physical, romantic, and career success. Meanwhile, Belinda's popularity soars to the point that Sass! management decides it's time to meet their star attraction in the flesh, as it were. As Nola slims down, the quest to find Belinda heats up, causing Nola to jump through more hoops than any personal trainer could possibly dream of. As a discerning observer of cultural folderol, Strohmeyer nonetheless softens her trenchant satire with obvious compassion for her lovable characters. Carol Haggas Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Praise for The Secret Lives of Fortunate Wives : "The mordantly observant Strohmeyer skewers the lifestyles of the rich and fatuous with spot-on irony, painting her pretentious socialites with broad, sarcastic strokes in an uproarious, upscale, tongue-in-cheek tour de force." BOOKLIST SARAH STROHMEYER is author of the “Bubbles” mystery series and The Secret Lives of Fortunate Wives , and has worked as a journalist for numerous publications, including The Boston Globe , the Cleveland Plain Dealer , and Salon.com. The Cinderella Pact is her sixth novel. Used Book in Good Condition