When I'm Not Myself

Sometimes a marriage is over long before it officially ends. When Cara's husband packs a bulging suitcase and leaves her for a younger woman ironically named Barbie, Cara can only say, "That's it?" before the tears begin. Now Cara has lost three dress sizes while picking up the pieces of her life with four kids and no man, and a mother whose idea of support involves detailing how Cara didn't do enough to save the marriage. But she is surviving with the help of her best friends: Melanie, aka Mel-the-fixer-of-everything, who feels that faithless Jack's departure is the best thing that could have happened;Leah, solid as a rock, who is always there to lean on;and Paige, the casserole queen, who shows up with mac-n-cheese and sympathy.

Despite frustrations and self-doubts, Cara is learning to hope and heal as she transforms from a long-suffering wife to the vibrant, self-assured woman she was meant to be. But the road to Cara's brighter future is strewn with complications, especially when the "other woman" asks for a favor. . .and Cara's path takes a poignant twist on the road to happiness.

Deborah J. Wolf is the author of "With You and Without You. " She lives with her husband and two adopted children in the wine country of Northern California.