3, maybe 3.5 stars. 
 For me, the first 40 percent of this book dragged. I'm not sure why I felt this way, since the book is really designed as a quick read. It definitely picks up pace as it goes along, but for a long time, I felt like I was bogged down in the minutiae of these women's lives--the secrets, the observations about clothes and shoes, the gorgeousness of their children. (Full disclosure: I'm not a parent, although I like kids well enough--so maybe it's simply a book that would appeal more to moms.) 
 The thing with this book is, that behind the shiny veneer of perfect lives, there are really serious issues going on, and for a long time, few serious attempts to deal with said issues. When the story picks up pace, it's good--fast, sharp, smart. For this reader, it just took too long to get there.