Dana Castilaw grew up tossing coins in a well, hoping her wishes would come true, but the candy fountain puppy, and love never seemed to manifest. At eighteen, she left her hometown of Barbier Point, Louisiana, longing to be free of her father’s choke-hold on her life and with a heart full of dreams she hoped would come true. Years later, she is forced to return home with at least one granted wish- her daughter, Sydney.

Alex Soileau stood at Dana’s side for years tossing her coins into the well, making the same wish each time, a secret plea that she refused to reveal even to her best friend. Time and maturity insisted that she give up on her one fervent desire, but her heart never would.

Reunited as adults, both women realize that maybe there was magic in the well after all.

REVIEW
Ever fell in love with your not-so-straight best friend? Well, join the club.. the book club, of course. 🙂

The great debate in the movie When Harry Met Sally is whether or not men and women can truly have platonic relationships with the opposite sex. If all you know about the movie is the infamous Meg Ryan moaning scene and you have plans to watch it at some point in the future, skip the rest of this paragraph. For those who have watched the movie, you know that the answer is a resounding “NO”. And this makes me wonder… What about lesbians?!

Always Alex brings to light that sometimes, you can be just one baby step away from best friends to lovers which can also bring a massive heap of confusion for the people involved. I have a friend who believes that your best friend is like a lover that you never want to sleep with. But what if your best friend is someone that you do want to sleep with? And don’t most lesbians identify their partner as their best friend? Is this why we have such a thing as lesbian bed death?!?!?! Dana and Alex explore this terrain (minus the lesbian bed death), and Robin Alexander captures the experience of the growth and transition of their relationship beautifully. Dana and Alex are both down-to-Earth, down-and-dirty (smirk), and totally relatable. Reading this novel and getting to know these characters is almost like the experience of listening to a good country song. You can really connect to the story and you feel it in your soul.

Oh, and if you do read this novel… You’re going to get a kick out of Maw Maw. She’s Dana’s grandmother and she’s hilariously vulgar and ratchet. She might just be my hero…

P.S. Here is the Urban Dictionary definition of lesbian bed death:
lesbian bed death – (n.) when sexual relations between a lesbian couple have virtually ceased, yet the companionship remains.

In order words… Best Friends. 😛

SOUNDTRACK
1.Tim McGraw – My Best Friend
2.Keith Urban – Your Everything
3. Sugarland – Fall Into Me
4. Rascal Flatts – Bless The Broken Road
5.Alison Krauss – When You Say Nothing At All
6.The Band Perry – All Your Life
7. Tracy Byrd – Keeper Of The Stars
8. Lady Antebellum – Can’t Take My Eyes Off You
9. Dixie Chicks – I’ll Take Care of You
10. Leann Rimes – How Do I Live
11. Keith Urban – Only You Can Love Me This Way
12. Martina McBride – Safe in the Arms of Love
13. Shania Twain – Forever And For Always

CHEERS!
This book would be best read with a….

SPIKED ARNOLD PALMER
-8 oz boiling water
-1 tea bag
-4 tablespoons of white granulated sugar
-2 oz bourbon (I would suggest Knob Creek)
-1 oz lemon juice
-lemon zest
-lemon slice

Steep the tea in boiling water. Mix the sugar, bourbon, lemon juice and lemon zest with the tea. Refrigerate for a few hours. Serve with a glass of ice and garnish with a lemon slice. Life is sweet!