Bridges: A Daphne White Novel by Maria Murnane is a women's fiction novel about three women who were college friends and are now in their early 40s, decide to catch up in New York City on the 4th of July to celebrate a surprise engagement, but each of them has a secret. Will all be revealed?

Daphne is a divorced mom working as a part-time florist in Ohio, decided it was time to realize her long-forgotten dream of being a journalist and finally penned her debut fictional novel. However, her self-doubt is dragging her down as the rejection emails continue to trickle in and she sees how successful Skylar is thinking that could've been her had she not devoted her entire adult life to taking care of her family. Skylar is a jet-setting corporate software salesperson in NYC who never slows down and always claimed she'd never marry, but now is engaged. KC is a happily married fitness junky and guru living in California who recently became a first-time grandmother. These women all lead distinctly different lives, but still make the time to support each other and get together for important milestones in each other's lives.

I really enjoyed learning about these three women's differing world's and strong bond as the plot unfolded. It was a well-written and enjoyable quick read with a twist of humour that will have you laughing out loud. I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars. This novel is a standalone work, however, it has the same characters as in the novel Wait for the Rain published in 2015 where the same three friends reunited to celebrate their 40th birthdays in the Caribbean. I would also recommend reading that novel as well.

Thank you to Maria Murnane for contacting me and providing a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review via NetGalley and Amazon Publishing. https://moesbookblog.wordpress.com/

Reviewed: March 22, 2017. Novel Publish Date: April 4, 2017.

Daphne had gotten together with her two best friends from college, Skylar and KC, last year on a Caribbean island to celebrate her fortieth birthday. Skylar has recently gotten engaged (something she said she'd never do) and wants Daphne and KC to come to New York to celebrate for a long weekend.

In college, Daphne had had dreams of being a successful journalist but ended up devoting her life to being a wife (she's now divorced) and mom and working part-time in a flower shop. In the last year, she gotten back her writing passion and has written a novel. She sent it to 36 agents and the rejection emails have been coming in. Her feelings of frustration and lack of confidence intensify when she stays at Skylar's new apartment and sees how successful Skylar is and perhaps how successful she could have been.

This is the third book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it ... it was a fun book. I liked the storyline and the writing style. It's written in third person perspective. I like Daphne, Skylar and KC. They each had very different personalities and lives but were able to joke and poke fun at each other ... and are there for each other when it matters. Though we met the three friends during their vacation "last year" in Wait for the Rain, you don't have to read that book to read this one as it works as a stand alone.

I look forward to reading other books by this author.