One thing I enjoy about Chick Lit is the fact that many of the books are written in the first person since I enjoy how that perspective lets me get inside a character’s head. In her latest novel, Stacey Ballis alternates narrators, allowing readers to see friendships and relationships from the points of view of five close friends. The result is rather uneven – it begins by flowing well and offering interesting insights, but becomes a bit jumpy by the end.

Jess, Anne, Beth, Robin, and Lilith are close friends living in Chicago. Jess recently returned from serving in the Peace Corps and, as she reconnects with her friends, all of whom are at something of a turning point. Some are trying to decide what to do in terms of a career and all kinds of relationship choices abound.

Each of these women has at least one man in her life, though the relationships have varying degrees of seriousness to them. Seeing the different ways in which each woman builds relationships, as well as the varying issues each has with regard to them makes the first half of the book very interesting. I had the sense that I was just getting to know the characters a little better, and though all were unique, each had something likable to offer. Ballis is a good enough writer that the five characters were distinct, one of the more appealing aspects of this book.

In addition, the five friends all seemed very interconnected, especially in the first half. I enjoyed seeing how five very different people could come up with different interpretations of similar events and also how each of these five approached friendships. Ballis sets up the group dynamic very well, and it really kept me turning pages.

As the book progresses, however, the focus shifts a bit. Several characters have romantic relationships that become more intense and pull them away from their female friends a bit. This is where things start to become jumpy. While some of the romantic relationships are well-drawn, indeed, the shifting perspectives start to work against them and the book seems not to hang together as well. For example, just as I was getting drawn into Robin’s newfound great love, the chapter ends and I am on to another character’s story. This shift in perspective works when the focus of the story is on the friendships, but as each woman becomes more independent of the group, things feel disconnected.

In addition, as with any story featuring an ensemble cast, the author runs the risk that readers will identify more strongly with one character than another. That certainly happened to me. In the beginning, I was curious about each character and happy to shift from person to person. However, as events unfolded and people made various choices about their lives, I started to empathize more closely with a couple of the characters and I wanted to hear more about them and less about some of the others. This made portions of the second half drag for me.

I appreciate that the author was willing to take the risk of presenting an ensemble story rather than focusing on one heroine as is customary. In some respects, the gamble paid off as readers are given a window into the inner workings of a circle of friends. However, with the focus shifting to each friend’s individual life, some of the tightness of the writing is lost and the end result is a tale I can’t quite recommend.