When I really love a funny book, I make lots of out loud exclamations. Statements like “Oh my God! I can’t believe she did that!,” “Noooooo!,” and “Yikes!,” all of which are followed by maniacal laughter. Let’s just say this was a very loud book for me.

Bride-to-be Nic is a caregiver, the kind of woman who not only listens to other people’s problems but immediately sets out to solve them. And right now she and her friends have a truck load of trouble. Mel has been waiting for Fred to propose for six long years. Seema has been waiting to move Scott from “just friends” to “red hot lover” for over a year. And Nic has been desperate to get a new job for many, many long months. Then a solution presents itself – magic. Last time Nic had been at a cake pull she pulled the silver heart charm and met her fiancee Jason that night. To superstitious Nic, this was all the proof she needed that cake charm pulls were destiny. She will bring the cake to her own shower, complete with cake charms, and each girl will pull the charm she needs. And to make sure the charms go to the right people, she’s placed strategic clues on the cake.

Things go desperately wrong of course. Not only do the charms get mixed up but the fortunes start coming true. The woman who got Nic’s typewriter charm (guaranteeing a good career move) gets a job as speech writer for the Governor of California. The woman who got Mel’s engagement ring gets engaged that very night. Another guest wins the lottery.

And our gals? Rather than a chili pepper signifying steamy romance ahead, Seema is stuck with a shovel, guaranteeing hard work. Nic pulls a baby carriage, when a baby is the last thing she wants. And Mel? She of the steadfast heart gets the chili pepper, signifying a red hot love affair on the way. And then their lives start to fall apart, making room for the futures their charms predicted.

Any good chick lit book is dependent upon its characters, and all three of these gals are fantastic. Seema, a beautiful Indian girl, is a fund raiser for the Los Angeles Museum. She is smart, funny, caring, and dependable. Nic – a journalist – is a career woman in denial that her real destiny is to be the ultimate soccer mom. Her ability to coordinate while in a crisis is astounding. Mel is a mess with a mission – to not be such a mess. Watching her take control of her destiny becomes one of the highlights of the book. All three characters are just a pleasure to spend time with.

Of course there are a lot of zany, wacky moments – the book opens with Nic locked in the bathroom and Seema attempting to break the door down with a fire extinguisher – but as you get to know the characters and their stories all these wacky moments fit naturally into their lives.

If you are looking for a fun, lighthearted book that centers on women and their relationships, this is the novel for you. Funny with just the right mix of zany added in. I heartily recommend it.