The phrase “Hey Ladies” will send a shiver down the spine of any woman of a certain age who reads it – especially in the context of emails organizing a friend’s Important Life Event such as a wedding or baby shower. In Hey Ladies!: The Story of 8 Best Friends, 1 Year, and Way, Way Too Many Emails, a group of girlfriends send emails and text over a year spent helping to plan their friend’s wedding. In this hilarious novel, authors Caroline Moss and Michelle Markowitz gently poke fun at female friendships and how women relate to each other.
This novel was one of the few I’ve read in which I disliked most of the characters, but I just couldn’t stop reading. I had a morbid curiosity to know what was going to happen to the characters, even when everything was going off the rails. The characters are obnoxious and awful, but you will see reflections of yourself and your friends in each one. Every text and email chain will ring true for anyone who has been part of a group planning a bachelorette party, baby shower, or other stressful event in a woman’s life. You will remember how much you love your friends, but will also recall the time you wanted to strangle them over how to arrange a bouquet. At its core, Hey Ladies is much-needed catharsis for those of us still nursing small wounds from wedding fervor, but it is also a compelling story and a trainwreck you can’t look away from.
Review by Shannon Wood
Adult Services Librarian
Nordonia Hills Branch Library
