Synopsis

Three women, from coast to coast and in between, open their mailboxes to the same intriguing invitation. Although leading entirely different lives, each has found herself at a similar, jarring crossroads. Right when these women thought they’d be comfortably settling into middle age, their carefully curated futures have turned out to be dead ends.

The sender of the invitation is Willa Silvester, who is reeling from the untimely death of her beloved husband and the reality that she must say goodbye to the small mountain town they founded together. Yet as Willa mourns her losses, an impossible question keeps staring her in the face: So now what?

Struggling to find the answer alone, fiercely independent Willa eventually calls a childhood friend who happens to be in her own world of hurt–and that’s where the idea sparks. They decide to host a weeklong interlude from life, and invite two other friends facing their own quandaries. Soon the four women converge at Willa’s Montana homestead, a place where they can learn from nature and one another as they contemplate their second acts together in the rugged wilderness of big sky country.

Review

This story follows 4 women, friends by association in some respects, that spend some time in Montana trying to figure out their next path in life – or their So What Next. These are all women in their 40s and maybe early 50s and I can understand how they might be trying to figure out their path in life. There has been the death of a spouse, divorce, grown children, affairs, and much more that has affected these women’s lives and they have to decide where they want to go next. These few days together also forced them to be honest with themselves and those around them. I can’t believe how much Willa wouldn’t tell the people in town about what was going on when it wasn’t her fault. She would rather be a martyr and sell her town vs talk to the people.

While I am the age range of these women, I’m not sure I could totally relate. My life has taken twists and turns over the last 6 years, but nothing like what these women have experienced. However, their camaraderie is admirable and while they may not get along or push and pull at each other, it is all a part of the process.

The ending was just right and a few surprises but not too many.

The descriptions of Montana were amazing and I could picture Bison Butte and other locations in my mind. It is definitely a place I would like to visit one day.

My only complaint is that there was no good place to stop. Each chapter is about 25% of the book. While I know it reflected each day, a way to stop without stopping in the middle of the chapter would be appreciated. There are also quite a few f* bombs and while it might be appropriate at times, I thought some could have been cut out and not affected the story in any way.

Overall we give 3 – 3 1/2 paws.