What if you didn’t have to make those really big, earth-shattering decisions? What if you could have your cake and eat it too? Sarah Mlynowski explores this fantasy in her latest novel. While the premise is interesting and the writing style pleasant, there is still no way to escape the harsh fact that reading this novel meant wasting priceless hours that I will never get back learning about the inner lives of an inconsiderate mama’s boy (and what a mother she is) and his spineless doormat girlfriend.

Gabby Wolf has just gotten an offer for her dream job as a producer for a show filmed in New York. She is excited about the job and has worked hard to break into a national market. The problem? Her boyfriend Cam does not want her to leave Phoenix and move to New York. In fact, he proposes to her right before she is supposed to leave town. So, does Gabby give up her dream, stay in Phoenix and marry Cam or does she go to New York and hope for the best?

Gabby wishes on a star that she could have both of these lives – and it actually happens. She gets to live each day twice, once in New York and once in Phoenix. Mlynowski’s writing style is entertaining and at first it is fun to see Gabby settle into her new life in New York and then to see Gabby settling into life with Cam in Phoenix as she plans her wedding. After a time, though, it starts to get both irritating and depressing.

The problem really lies with the characters. Gabby is truly indecisive and is so unwilling to disagree with others that I wondered how she ever managed to get anywhere in the professional world. In New York, she cannot stand up to her psycho roommate and in Phoenix she is unable to defend herself against her overbearing future mother-in-law. The constant litany of Gabby’s doormat moments drags the reader down as the book progresses. Just as I thought that Gabby had learned something and maybe grown a touch of spine – poof! It’s gone.

Sadly, Cam is not much more likable. The quintessential mama’s boy, he is so firmly tied to his mother’s apron strings that the idea of anyone thinking differently than Mother Dearest just does not enter his mind and his lack of understanding and consideration for Gabby’s feelings and dreams is rather off-putting. Cam is not mean or malicious, but he is self-focused enough that it is difficult to like him. I simply could not understand why any heroine would dream of giving up her dream life to stay with this man, and that problem really keeps the book from working for me.

At her best, Mlynowski shows great understanding of life in the city and her stories can on occasion be both hilarious and poignant. However, this is just not her best. A heroine does not have to be perfect, but if she frustrates rather than being sympathetic or endearing, it is really hard for a reader to care if she finds herself or not. With stronger characters, this book could have been a winner but as it is, I cannot recommend it.